For the past two weeks, I have mostly been proctoring session after session after session of our state's "blessed event." Definitely not my favorite thing about teaching. We aren't allowed to look at the screen while we are proctoring, but I can't help but wonder what the kids are reading. On other tests, in the past, I've been surprised more than once, to see the names of authors that I love. And truthfully, I always feel a little betrayed by that. I always wonder why an author would ever sell her work like that...
And as far as style, I've been reading Amy Ludwig Vanderwater's poems this month. Amy writes rhyming poems, pretty much every day, and she's really, really good at it. I hardly ever write rhyming poems, it just seems way too hard to me. Somehow, tonight, I decided I would try rhyming…
"If I were a book"
If I were a book
I'd want to face out,
and show off my cover
my worth I would flout.
If I were a book
I would want to be read,
in classes, on buses,
I'd want my words spread.
If I were a book
I'd hate corners turned,
but notes in the margins
would show lessons learned.
If I were a book
I'd want a few smudges,
they'd show I'd been loved
I wouldn't hold grudges.
If I were a book
I never would be
a passage to dissect
from a test factory.
(C) Carol Wilcox, 2018
You are so wonderfully poetic, your message is incredibly wise, AND you found terrific rhyming words! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThat slam dunk is at the end. Ingrid just finished her Parc (sp?) testing & continued to complain how awful it was. Nicely communicated from the book's perspective, Carol.
ReplyDeleteYour poem made me think of this article that circulated last year: I Can't Answer These Texas Standardized Test Questions About My Own Poems. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/standardized-tests-are-so-bad-i-cant-answer-these_us_586d5517e4b0c3539e80c341
ReplyDeleteNice job! You don't usually rhyme, but you pulled it off here. Love the repetition, too!
ReplyDeleteAmy's proclivity for rhyme has rubbed off on me. I never imagined I'd write a rhyming poem, but you know I have!
ReplyDeleteI'm w/ you when it comes to standardized testing. The point of view in this poem is wonderful, and the use of hypotheticals interests me because I teach hypothetical enthymemes. This month I have found myself thinking about rhetoric in poems the way I think about it in essays. I suppose writers sell the book rights to help their bottom line, but I bet the books aren't thrilled about finding themselves trapped in test hell.
AMEN!!
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